West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's dharna, demanding the state's "dues" from the Centre for various social welfare schemes, persisted overnight despite the cold. Banerjee, accompanied by leaders of her party, the TMC, initiated the demonstration on Friday afternoon in front of BR Ambedkar's statue in Kolkata's Maidan area.
State ministers including Firhad Hakim and Aroop Biswas were among those who joined Banerjee during the night, according to party leaders on Saturday morning. Banerjee contends that the BJP-led government at the Centre owes the state thousands of crores of rupees for various welfare schemes, including the MGNREGA and the PM Awas Yojana.
The dharna is slated to continue for 48 hours until Sunday, with the state's budget session commencing on Monday.